


Between a Rock

by LittleMissSyreid



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Asgard, Asgard (Marvel), F/M, Vanaheimr | Vanaheim
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-06-29 15:58:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15732705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissSyreid/pseuds/LittleMissSyreid
Summary: The war between Asgard and Vanaheim had not plagued the realms for many years. However, when the crown princess of the latter is thrown into an Asgardian prison for a crime she did not commit, tensions arise once more. She is forced to think quickly in order to save her people and theirs from needless slaughter. The solution? An arranged marriage. To the Odinson of her choice.





	1. Flawed Introductions

The sun beat down upon the polished stonework. Loki’s heels clicked upon them as he perused the marketplace – or rather, as he perused the people perusing the marketplace. So fascinating. They would flit like magpies to the nearest shiny object; squawks of sales and discounts calling out to them and beckoning.

Food; jewellery; clothing; even bejewelled daggers. To be honest, the stall with the bejewelled daggers had caught his eye more than once. He found himself being beckoned yet again as he walked, though distracted as had he become that he walked into someone.

Their person hit his shoulder hard, seemingly oblivious to his presence and consequently oblivious to the necessity for an apology. He turned for a moment to watch, aghast. He made note of the woman who hit him. The colour of her hair. The style of her dress. Her conduct. Her manner of walking. The shape of her shoulders… Shaking his head, Loki thought little of it for a second. Nobility, for sure. A higher status of those around her – except him, of course.

After a smug little smirk, Loki shrugged, turned away, and continued with his afternoon…

* * *

 

The sunny weather persisted for several hours as Loki completed his rounds. He reached the edge of the market walkway, picked an apple from a tree, and turned around. He leant back against the trunk of the tree, which was encircled by a small mosaic patio and shrubbery.

His teeth sunk into the crisp flesh of the apple, crunching pleasantly. As he did so, he noticed an even more pleasant event taking place. Chaos. The throes of commotion. Beautiful mischief at play. He took another bite of his apple and stepped closer towards it. The crowd parted, almost on cue, as he neared.

Familiar hair colour. Familiar dress. Familiar conduct. The woman from earlier that day was amidst it, in the arms of palace soldiers, oddly enough.   
“Unhand me,” she demanded. “How dare you grab me this w– Let _go_ of me!” The market vendor was stood a few feet away, her arms folded and her expression dower.   
“I’m telling you, officers. I’m missing several necklaces from my stand that were there a minute ago.”  
“Interesting accusations. Did you actually see me pilfer them?”  
“I don’t need to. They’re in your bag.”

The soldiers shared a look and nodded at one another. Loki scoffed and chuckled. There was only a moment’s hesitation before the taller of the two men grabbed the strap of the bag on your shoulder.   
“How _dare_ you! I am innocent, and you will find nothing in there. I swear you will suffer the consequences. That is my personal property. Unlawful apprehension of a-”

Sure enough, the guards lifted shimmering gold and silver. Diamonds. Pearls. All of it reflecting the expression of horror on your face.   
“Well, this is just ridiculous. I’ve been framed. A scapegoat. I-”  
“Save it,” muttered the guard gruffly. “You’re under arrest for theft.”  
“Are you joking?”

Loki raised an eyebrow. The way they began to drag her away, kicking and screaming, looked pretty serious to him.   
“There’s no way I did this! Please, someone must’ve seen something. I’m innocent! Innocent, I say. You will hear from my father.”

Loki chuckled at that. He took another, final, bite to the apple before tossing it aside. There was a certain young lad amongst the crowd who looked especially unnerved by all the proceedings, with whom he wanted a conversation…

* * *

Loki couldn’t quite say what drew him to the prison cell. Curiosity. Boredom. Amusement. All of the above. Either way, he descended the staircase with his hands clasped behind his back. He could hear you calling from your cell.   
“Hello? Can anybody hear me? Please, I just want to contact-”  
“Your father?” Loki answered as he rounded the corner and appeared in view.

“Ugh, finally,” you huffed, standing up straight and placing your hands in front of your abdomen. “What are you? The night guard or something?” Loki smiled and dipped his head.   
Well, let’s see, it’s still early evening and I’m also Loki, the son of Odin. So, to answer your question, no. I’m not the night guard.”  
“O-Oh,” you stammered. “The son of Odin. I see.”

“But that’s not what is important,” he continued. “I want to know who _you_ are.”  
“I beg your pardon?”  
“Oh, please. ‘My father will hear about this’? How many people have used that line?”  
“I imagine a few, if you’re questioning me about it.”

Loki’s eyes narrowed. For the second time that day, he examined you. The colour and style of your hair. The style and material of your dress. Your conduct and countenance. The shape of your shoulders and even your collarbone…   
“Plenty of people use it. Something about you, however, tells me that there’s actually some substance behind it. That you do in fact have a father with whom you could call in a favour.”

Biting your lip, you turned away and began to pace.   
“Yes, I’ll admit… I wasn’t watching my tongue in that moment. It lacked sense. I shouldn’t have revealed my hand so easily.”  
“So what is it? A duke? A councilman? A wealthy merchant?”

“A king, actually,” you sighed, rubbing your forehead. “Vanaheim. My father is the king of Vanaheim.”

Loki felt something stick in his throat. It was only small, but he felt a small bead of moisture above his brow. Vanaheim was once at war with Asgard, fierce rivals of the Aesir that lived in the latter realm. Despite having put their differences aside, their relationship had been… fragile. And Asgard had just thrown one of Vanaheim’s crown princesses behind bars.

“W-Why not declare yourself sooner? Request an emissary or an envoy?”  
“And make a grand deal of the whole thing? Be offered countless somethings for nothing just because of who I am and who my family is? Please. I came here to be a tourist. Not an ambassador for my people.”  
“Very well,” Loki said a little callously. “Then you can suffer a tourist’s punishment for theft.”

“That implies I have some sort of culpability,” you quipped, raising a well-manicured eyebrow. “However, I continue to insist that I am innocent. Why will nobody listen when I say this? I cannot explain how those items ended up in my possession, but I certainly did not put them there.”

Loki began to tap his chin thoughtfully.   
“I _suppose_ I could look into it…”

You frowned.   
“Oh, _thank you_ , your royal highness.”

“I would not be so glib towards the man who might become responsible for your release.” You scoffed and turned your gaze upwards, folding your arms. Before either of you could submit another remark, the doors to the prisons burst open; Thor descended the staircase, two steps at a time. His cape billowed behind him.   
“Of _course_ we will look into this, your highness.” Loki rolled his eyes and immediately spun around, striding towards his brother with haste. “I don’t doubt that there is a reasonable explanati-” Loki grabbed his brother’s ear and hauled him back up the staircase.

Once the doors had slid shut, Thor voiced his understandable confusion. Loki scowled back at him.   
“I already know who did this, you buffoon. Let me handle it!”  
“Then bring the culprit in! She must be released immediately,” Thor said, gesturing wildly to the closing doors. Loki grabbed at his hair and tugged gently. Was this man ever infuriating…   
“The guards were informed of his identity before I even stepped foot in the room. And would you stop _yelling_?”  
“I will stop yelling if you tell me why you are tormenting her? Acting aloof and smart?”  
“Because our people were responsible for getting her thrown in that cage,” Loki sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “If I play my cards correctly, then perhaps I can convince her that she owes me a debt for her release.”

It finally sunk in. Thor’s eyelids slid slowly shut.   
“…and you can use it to stop her family threatening Asgard.”  
“Exactly. The last thing we need right now is another war with Vanaheim. In the meantime, why don’t you see to it that the guards who started this are suitably dealt with?”

Thor bowed his head and ran a hand through his golden mane.   
“I am sorry for doubting you brother. I’ll see to that immediately.”

As he turned and left, another two guards appeared behind him. The shifty looking gentleman from the marketplace was between them, looking very solemn and sorry for himself.   
“Wait, wait, wait,” Loki said, holding out a hand. “Let me go in first.”

* * *

That night, Loki lay awake. He couldn’t help but think about what he’d achieved that day. War with Vanaheim had been narrowly avoided – because he’d been in the right place at the right time. Upon hearing your confession – “My father is king of Vanaheim” – he’d had to think quickly, think on his feet. If only somebody were here, he thought to himself, he’d tell them just how magnificent he was and get such a round of applause.

Be careful what you wish for, said the voice in his head, as the sound of his window sliding open filled the empty quiet of his bedroom.

Loki’s resting form stiffened noticeably. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the shadowy figure slip inside and close the window behind them. He screwed his eyes shut, controlled his breathing. He reached his hand under the mattress and clutched the hilt of his dagger. Just a few more seconds of feigning sleep…

“Your highness?” whispered the shadowy figure. “Your highness? It’s me. I’m afraid I need your help again.”


	2. Chapter 2

With a flick of his wrist, Loki willed the candles to light. The room flooded with gold, revealing the same expression on your face as was on his own. Surprise.   
“You’ve returned,” Loki said, subtly replacing his dagger and sitting upright.   
“And you’re… not Thor.”  
“Thank you.”

A few minutes passed as Loki dressed himself in a gown. He tied it loosely in front of his bare abdomen.   
“I could have you arrested for that, you know,” he said, rubbing his temple.   
“Like you wouldn’t enjoy a woman sneaking into your bedroom at night.”  
“Touché.”

“And besides,” you sighed. “I think I have served enough prison time at the hands of your people.”  
“Is that why you’ve returned?” Loki settled onto his bedside and crossed one leg over the other. He watched you in the candlelight. A fur cape sat around your shoulders, protecting you from the bite of the midnight air. Underneath, a black dress with a hood that had, until a moment ago, been over your head. Stealth was your intention, apparently. As stealthy as you could be as a Vanaheim princess.  
“I’m… I have no intention of discussing that with you.”

“But with my brother?” Loki chuckled.   
“Yes, actually.” You raised your chin a little higher and adjusted the fastening of your furs. “So, if you could point me in the direction of his room.”  
“But of course. Would you prefer a door or a window?”  
“Hilarious.”

* * *

 

Thor’s face was the picture of surprise. He opened his bedroom door in the twilight hours, to the image of his yawning brother and the recently released royal. Why was she back? Why was she with his _brother_? And he was dressed so… Well, he wasn’t really dressed.   
“Has… something happened?” Thor asked.

His answer came in the form of a shifty look in Loki’s direction. Rolling his eyes, Loki stood a little taller and cleared his throat.   
“I will leave the two of you to talk then,” he muttered, bowing his head in your direction and taking his leave down the corridor. Thor stepped aside and welcomed you into the room. Thankfully, he was better clothed than his brother.

You removed your furs and draped them over your arm as you stepped into the room. The longer you spent inside the palace, the warmer it got. However, the impending topic of conversation certainly wasn’t helping your temperature either.   
“I apologise for disturbing you in this manner,” you said, waiting until you were invited to sit before doing so. Thor placed himself in the smoking chair beside your own. “If it weren’t important, I wouldn’t be here. The middle of the night was the only time I could get away from home without being seen.”

Thor was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Away from home without being seen? This did not bode well in the slightest.   
“Please. Continue,” he said.   
“I will not beat around the bush,” you smiled wearily, running a hand through your hair. Thor noted the way you acted very little as an Asgardian princess would. Your manners may have been impeccable but aside from that, you were very civil. Very relaxed. Calm. Ordinary. It was refreshing. That alone comforted him. He no longer felt the suffocating pressure that one might do when meeting with a foreign dignitary.

“It’s about my father. He intends to wage war upon Asgard.”

“What?” Thor boomed. You flinched and Thor immediately caught his tongue, placing his fist over his lips.   
“I– I– I tried to subdue him, your highness, I really did but he’s a man prone to temper. Once he heard that I’d been wrongly imprisoned, there was no talking to him! He left the room in search of his generals. I’ve been trying to contact him all afternoon but he won’t listen, fobs me off with nurses and maids. I know he means well, and worries for me, but he’s taken this too far and now people might suffer because of it.”

Thor leaned forwards, his elbows on his knees and rubbed his face deeply with his hands.   
“I see why you required the secrecy.”  
“Yes, quite.” You ran a hand through your hair again and Thor smiled weakly. He knew it must be difficult for you to discuss. The way you sustained your stoic expression however was both admirable and appealing. “I just… didn’t know who to turn to, your highness. I don’t know what to do.”

“Perhaps an alliance,” someone suggested, from the shadows. Thor sighed very heavily, and his eyes slid shut. On the black of his eyelids, he could see himself leaving the bedroom door open an inch too wide when he let you inside. Enough time for a certain someone with magical capabilities to sneak indoors without detection.

Loki stepped forward and dropped his invisible guise. He bowed his head in your direction again but made a note of the stony glare he received in return.   
“An alliance would negate any conflict by supplying a plethora of positives for the people of our respective realms.” Thor scoffed loudly.   
“An alliance, Loki? Truly?” He said. “I thought you were the diplomat of the two of us. I doubt either of our fathers will agree to an alliance right now, given their… temperaments.”  
“And what if the alliance is one they need take no part in? Save for giving their blessing that is…” Your breath hitched. Loki pretended that he hadn’t heard it. “We ought to make them act like fathers before acting like rulers.”

“What are you talking about?” Thor said, rubbing his eyes hard with the tips of his fingers. It was either far too late or far too early for this. He couldn’t figure out which. “Speak plainly please, Loki, I don’t understand.”

“He’s talking about matrimony,” you said. Your gaze never wavered from Loki. “A marriage, to join our two kingdoms.”

A few moments passed in terrible silence. Thor looked between the pair of you. Was he serious? A… A marriage? Very well, if that’s how it must be…  
“My dearest lady,” he said softly, sliding from his seat onto one knee on the floor. You blinked repeatedly, and Loki turned away, hiding a smile behind his hand. “Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

With a genteel laugh, you shook your head and touche Thor’s shoulder.   
“With all due respect, your highness, absolutely not.”

“What?” Loki stepped forward and cleared his throat.   
“If I may: it would look too suspicious for the two of you to be engaged so soon after your wrongful arrest. It would be quite an obvious power play. Not to mention the complications of inheritance; after all, you’re both in line for your own thrones.” You patted Thor’s shoulder and stood up. You approached Loki’s side, your arms folded and an eyebrow raised.   
“The younger sibling, however…” Loki smirked, and looked you up and down. “No throne entitlement. No ties to the household here. No obvious scheming behind the scenes – or at least no more than usual.”

“She’s right,” Loki said. “Though I hope you don’t expect me to get down on one knee.”  
“From what I know of you, _my lord_ , you’ve stooped low enough in your time. No need to sustain the hobby.”

Thor got to his feet and straightened out his dressing gown. It was _definitely_ too early for this. The stare between the two of you was palpable; thick with subtext and the unspoken. He stepped between it, eager to remove this drama from his sleeping quarters.   
“So, we’re in agreement then? We’ll announce the news in the morning? A prince of Asgard is to marry the princess of Vanaheim.”

You stared at Loki a moment longer but eventually nodded.   
“Yes. Alright. Let’s get married.”

* * *

 

Once Loki had been ushered from his room, Thor offered to set you up in a spare bedroom. It was partly chivalry – that he knew his brother would not extend – and partly because it would allow him to handle the situation to some degree. He would pick the nicest spare room he could find.

“So, I have to ask,” he mused aloud. Your furs were draped over his forearm and he stroked them distractedly as they walked. “You already knew that you would not be tying yourself to me, didn’t you?”  
“I did.”  
“Then why insist on being escorted to see me once you’d entered his room?”

You smiled bashfully and let your head fall.   
“Well, firstly, you ought to be kept in the loop regardless. We can’t have you being kept ignorant, only to blow the lie wide open, can we?”  
“Do I detect motives ulterior to those?”  
“You might.” You bit your lip and looked away. The interior decorating in Asgard’s palace truly put your home’s to shame. “I… also needed to make sure that Loki would agree. What better way than to make him think it was all his idea? I ‘accidentally’ crawl into _his_ room, as opposed to yours, piquing his interest enough to stay behind and eavesdrop. Then, he suggests a solution and, on account of his wanting to take all credit, is obligated to see it all the way through.”

“You planned all of that having met him only once?” Thor said as he came to a halt outside of a tall, wooden bedroom door. He held it open to you as your explanation/confession continued.   
“To any spectators of my arrest, I was guilty as charged. He, however, discovered the true culprit and brought him in. I don’t see him as somebody likely to hunt truth and justice for the sake of it, because it makes him feel good, so one can assume that he sought me out with the intention of claiming the credit for my emancipation. So, to answer your question: yes, I got all that from meeting him once. He’s not as complex as he’d believe himself to be.”

Thor chuckled and leaned against the doorframe. Admittedly, if you were to be believed, then it was incredibly impressive.   
“How long did this little scheme of yours take, might I ask?”  
“It was a long ride here,” you said with a wink. “Besides, I needed some way to get revenge for the way he thought to manipulate me whilst I was behind bars.”

“You know, my lady,” he said, “I dare say you’re a better match for my brother than you both realise.”  
“I’ll try not to take that as an insult.”

Thor watched you seat yourself on the bedspread and cross one leg over the other. It was a similarity to a certain someone that was not lost on him…


End file.
